Kirin’s black and green teas scores Japan’s first functional claims for immune function

30 Jul 2021 --- Kirin Beverage Company will launch two immunity beverages in Japan in October. The company asserts the new products are the nation’s first black tea and green tea to be sold as a food with functional claims for immune function.

Tapping into this prominent trend, Kirin Gogo-no-Kocha Milk Tea Plus and Kirin Namacha Life Plus Immune Assist will contain Kirin’s proprietary Lactococcus lactis strain Plasma to support healthy consumers maintaining their immune health. 

“The target of these new products are the people who are interested in immunity but have not taken any specific action,” Kozue Takayoshi, assistant manager of Kirin’s corporate communication department, tells NutritionInsight.

According to a Kirin-conducted survey, 46 percent percent of Japanese consumers are mildly interested in gathering information on immunity-boosting F&B and supplements, followed by 24 percent expressing “medium” interest.

“We developed these products to create the market where more customers can take L. lactis strain Plasma by taking advantage of our well-known core brands, Kirin Gogo-no-Kocha and Kirin Namacha, which already enjoy high recognition by customers,” says Takayoshi.

Product development specifics
To develop the product, Kirin focused on how to deliver the value of “tasty immunity care” to customers in a way that is unique to the Afternoon Tea and Namacha brands. 

“We have been preparing to launch the product in time for the winter season, when interest in immunity is particularly high, while testing the product’s acceptability to customers,” Takayoshi outlines.

Supported by Japan’s high recycling rates, the bottles are made of fully recycled PET, with Kirin Gogo-no-Kocha Milk Tea Plus arriving in a 430 mL format and Kirin Namacha Lifeplus Immune Assist in 525 mL. 

Kirin is preparing to launch the products in time for the winter season, when interest in immunity is “particularly high.”Details on the strain
The Plasma strain is a type of L. lactis strain, a natural lactic acid bacterium mainly used for the fermentation of cheese and yogurt. 

Gogo-no-Kocha Milk Tea Plus and Kirin Namacha Lifeplus Immune Assist both contain 100 billion L. lactis strain Plasma heat-killed bacteria each.

Kirin maintains that the intake of L. lactis strain Plasma for more than two weeks can activate plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), known as the “command tower” of the immune system. PDCs are known to secrete large quantities of type 1 interferon proteins that help regulate immune system activity. 

The activity of pDCs is maintained at a high level while consuming L. lactis strain Plasma. Because that level decreases slowly when the intake is interrupted, Kirin emphasizes that it is important to continuously consume L. lactis strain Plasma. 

The resulting product stems from joint research by Kirin Holdings, Koiwai Dairy Products and Kyowa Hakko Bio, which was also recently featured in Performance Labs’ probiotic immunity support supplement.

“Exploding” Plasma sales 
As black tea and green tea contain a relatively large number of ingredients, analyzing and evaluating the activity of lactobacilli can be difficult, Takayoshi continues. “We are able to achieve this by utilizing the knowledge gained from Immuse’s product development.”

Kirin Holdings released its paraprobiotic immune activator Immuse, which includes L. lactis strain Plasma, in the European market in April and in the US last September.

Since then, L. lactis strain Plasma product sales have “exploded,” according to Kirin, leading to a +20 percent sales target revision. Moreover, the sales volume of beverages containing the strain from January to June 2021 increased by approximately 50 percent year on year.

Consequently, Kirin has revised its annual sales target for Plasma-containing beverages upward to five million cases, an increase of approximately 20 percent from the initial plan.

The two tea drinks are the first food with immunity functional claims in Japan, says Kirin.Shifting long-term immunity focus
Supporting immune health remains top of mind throughout the pandemic. Recently, Tokyo reported its highest number of new coronavirus infections, just days after the start of the Olympic Games.

“We believe that the change in lifestyle caused by COVID-19 has stimulated consumers to become more aware of infection prevention and hygiene,” says Takayoshi. 

“However, Kirin has been selling products containing L. lactis strain Plasma since before the pandemic, and the brand has been growing in line with consumers’ growing interest in immunity.”

In other developments from Kirin, the company recently launched Eyemuse, touted as the first heat-treated probiotic strain for healthy eye function. It discovered that the strain may reduce eye fatigue via its ability to support a balanced immune response.

Moreover, Beta-lactolin, Kirin’s new functional ingredient, launched in beverages, yogurts and supplements in Japan to “support the maintenance of memory, which declines with age.”

By Anni Schleicher